


A Case of the Feels

by QuietDarkness



Series: Simplicity and Complexity (Harrisco) [28]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M, harrisco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-11-16 14:59:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11255313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuietDarkness/pseuds/QuietDarkness
Summary: Cisco hasn't been feeling like himself lately. Angry, sad, happy, terrible and more, all to the extreme. Even a bout of jealousy rears its ugly head, causing a fight between himself and Harry. It doesn't take a genius to figure out something strange is going on. Question is, what or who is giving Cisco Ramon a crazy case of the feels? And can they figure out how to stop it before it turns into something far worse than mood swings?'Opposites don't just attract. They catch fire and burn the entire city down.'(Part 28)





	A Case of the Feels

"You're enjoying this way too much." Cisco groused, swaying back and forth. Upside down. By the ankles. 

"It brings to mind some interesting ideas." Harry responded, standing somewhat beneath him, looking up with his neck slightly craned. If Cisco's face hadn't already been flushed from hanging upside down like that, he might have blushed. But instead, he balled his hanging hands into fists.

"Harry, dammit!" He blurted, "Get me down!" Cisco pointed at him then, which was only helping to make the whole situation funnier. "I know where you sleep!" 

Harry chuckled, moving away from underneath him. Ramon had taken it upon himself to run the new power conduits across the beams in the ceiling of various parts of the pipeline. And though he'd managed to do a pretty good job for the most part, his ladder tipped, he'd lost his footing and fallen, luckily being saved by the very cables he was trying to attach. They'd wrapped around his ankles, and dangled him like a pinata. When he'd called Harry on his cell phone, he almost thought it was a joke. Till he saw his husband swaying lazily in the air. He moved over to the ladder, propping it back up and climbing it to get to the cables around his ankles. "You realize if I undo these," He said, glancing down at Cisco's stern and embarrassed expression, "You're going to drop." 

"Well, it's better than hanging here like a piece of meat." Ramon mumbled. "Come on, Harry... just... undo the damn things. My head's gonna implode." Harry gave him one last look, stifled another chuckle, then began to unwrap the cords, one foot at a time. Except he held onto Cisco by one ankle, maneuvering him enough that he could grip the ladder and sort of tumble himself sideways. He did fall, but it was more of a roll than a drop. And then he just laid there on the floor, staring up. "And now everything's spinning..."

When Harry made it back down the ladder, he stopped at Ramon's side, crouching and watching him. "Blood's leaving that thick skull of yours." He commented, reaching forward and brushing some of the dust and dirt from this whole exercise off of Cisco's forehead. "Next time, Ramon," he stood, holding out a hand for him to take, "Wait for someone to help you." He yanked the shorter man into a standing position, steadying him for a moment before stepping back and picking up the metal brackets Ramon had been using. They were scattered everywhere, having fallen mostly out of the small crate he'd been using to carry them with. Cisco frowned, shook himself off, then began to help.

"It's not like anyone's been around to help. I mean, Barry and Iris are on their honeymoon. Caitlin is still in Star City helping Oliver. Maggie's with Jesse for the month doing that whole math camp thing on Earth-2. And you have been nose deep in every project but the improvements which, by the way," he motioned one bracket at Harry, " _You_ were the one who said needed to be done in the first place." Harry tossed several back into the crate, straightening and looking at Cisco with a single raised brow.

"I didn't say they needed to be done now, Ramon." He furrowed his brows, then, narrowing his gaze before pulling off his glasses, watching as Cisco practically lobbed a handful of brackets into the crate. "Alright. That's it." He closed the distance, forcing Ramon to look up at him, "What's with you?"

"Nothing's with me." Cisco crossed his arms over his chest, but Harry knew him well enough to know he was lying. 

"Try again." Harry crossed his own arms in response. "You've been moody since Friday."

"I have not been moody." He retorted, making a small exasperated sound as he attempted to side step his taller husband. But Harry blocked his way immediately. Cisco tried to move the other way, and Harry stopped him again. "Cut that out!" He groused. But Harry just stared him down.

"Moody." He repeated. And Cisco practically ground his teeth together before throwing his hands up.

"Alright, fine! I've been moody, happy?!" He turned around and sat down on one of the railings, crossing his arms again. "Moody... what am I, a teenager?" He mumbled, and Harry smirked, staying where he was, still watching.

"At the moment, you're acting like one." Cisco cringed, then glared daggers. "You could try just telling me what's bothering you. Last time I checked," Harry took a few steps forward, "Listening is one thing husband's are good for." And for a moment, Ramon actually looked thoughtful. Then he just looked... bothered. Harry dropped his hands, sitting down next to Ramon. "Talk to me." He urged gently, nudging Cisco's arm with his own. Harry might not be great at all things emotional. But he and Cisco had learned to talk to one another. They didn't keep secrets, they worked out everything with steady conversation, and the few rare real fights they had always turned out to be a good thing because they could actually talk it out. Ramon was really the only person Harry had been able to do that with in a very, very long time. 

"You've been seeing someone." Cisco mumbled, refusing to look at him. 

"I've been... what, now?" Harry asked, thoroughly confused, turning a little, a puzzled expression on his face. That had not been at all what he would have imagined hearing. Because, well... it was absurd. 

"You heard me, Casanova." Cisco said a little loudly, getting up and pacing, which was something he did when he was riled up or upset. It helped him clear his head, think out loud, get words out. Harry watched him, really beyond baffled. "That redhead from Jitters. Ya know, when I was sick? She," He stopped dead in his tracks, pointing at Harry, "She ran into you again! I know, because Malory told me she saw you guys drinking coffee together! And then, when I was fixing the bug in the security feed at the apartment, I saw her come AND go!" His face was red again, "From our building!"

"Wait..." Harry tilted his head a little, "Who's Malory?" He asked curiously, and Cisco nearly growled at him.

"One of the baristas, from Jitters! That's... NOT important, Harry!" Cisco got even louder, and Harry felt everything in him go momentarily calm. It was how he seemed to respond these days when people were angry or violent. Everything in him stilled, became focused, intent. "You've been really quiet lately, really drowning in your work far more than usual. Which is saying something. And now this?" Cisco paused, "Are you cheating on me?" He finally asked, swallowing, eyes suddenly wet. And that stillness in Harry just fell to the floor. 

"Ramon," He stood up, moving into Cisco with a quick shake of his head, "No. How could you...." He let out a quick breath, stopping himself from touching Cisco. How could he ever think that Harry would do something like that? How could that even be a rational thought in his mind?! Harry felt his own anger begin to boil and he shook his head again, clenching his jaw. "You really think I'm capable of that. That I would hurt you that way." He wasn't asking, he was stating, loud and clear, and he watched Cisco's expression change to complete uncertainty. "Never." Harry nearly snarled, stepping back. "Camila lives in our building. She moved there last month. It was completely coincidental. As for what Marjory saw at Jitters-"

"Malory." Cisco corrected numbly.

"Whatever, Ramon. I was having coffee. Alone. Waiting for you, by the way. She sat with me. End of story." He ran a frustrated hand quickly through his hair, "After... after everything we've been through, everything we've done..." He shook his head, stepping back again. "No." And he turned, kicking the crate of brackets out of his way and heading for the exit out of the pipeline. But when he reached it, he couldn't go through. He slapped his hands to either side of the doorway, stopping himself. Then he let out a sound before turning to look back at a very startled and hurt Cisco. "I've been quiet, been working harder because you all _asked_ me to!" He paced toward Ramon, "Everyone else needed to go do their own thing, and you wanted to go to that comicon tomorrow or whatever the hell it's called. So I thought I'd pick up the slack!" He yelled, arm motioning wildly at Cisco. 

And then nothing. He let his arm fall, and Cisco just stared at him, tears escaping his chocolate hues. For a long, terrible moment, silence just stretched on around them. Then Cisco shook his head softly and moved. It wasn't what Harry expected. Shit, none of this was anything he expected. But Cisco was suddenly against him, holding him tightly, hands curling into the back of Harry's shirt for dear life. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He muttered. Damn. For a breath or two, Harry didn't do anything. But then he cleared his throat a little and wrapped his arms around Ramon warmly, lowering his face to Cisco's hair and closing his eyes as he let out a sigh. 

"I've told you before," He whispered, "I'm happy right where I am, with you." He felt Cisco shudder. And for a little while, he just stayed clinging to Harry like that, as though he were afraid if he let go, Harry might just run off. "This isn't like you, Ramon." He said then, lifting his head, reaching up and smoothing his hands into Cisco's hair. "What's going on?" He couldn't hide the worry in his tone. Cisco was a passionate man. He wasn't afraid to wear his emotions on his sleeves. It was one of the things that Harry loved most about him. But even this was a little extreme for Ramon. They'd both admitted in the past that they could be a bit jealous under the right circumstances, but they also both knew how strong they were as a couple. Harry trusted Cisco completely, and vice versa. So what was really going on? As Ramon met his eyes, Harry watched the uncertainty and pain turn into confusion. 

"I..." Cisco said, then shook his head, "I don't know." He sounded... worried. "I mean, I really don't know." He took a step back, looking around quietly for a moment before meeting Harry's gaze again. "Seriously, Harry, that's not me." He said, composing himself steadily, wiping at his face. But there was still a visible strain in his expression. "But I still feel..." he seemed to be grasping at the right words, his hands clenching at the air before him, "Wound up, and like..." he put a hand flat over his own chest, "Like my heart's been broken." He lamented, and looked up at Harry with sudden wide eyes. "Something's wrong with me. I'm... moody."

If Harry didn't actually agree with Cisco's assessment, he might have actually found that final word funny...

* * *

"Mood swings." Caitlin said, glancing from one man to the other, her tablet in one hand, an incredulous look on her face. "Elaborate." Both Harry and Cisco glanced at each other, then Ramon cleared his throat.

"I'm all over the place. One minute I'm happy, the next I'm angry, then a moment later I wanna... cry." He cleared his throat after that. "I also seem to be a bit-"

"Paranoid." Harry interjected, and Cisco motioned a thumb in his direction.

"What he said." Ramon agreed. And Caitlin raised both brows slowly, glancing between them again. 

It had been four days since Ramon's meltdown and accusations in the pipeline. Four days of his moods bouncing around like a ping pong ball on steroids. Harry had been quietly elated at Caitlin's return, because he wasn't sure how much more of it he could take. Caitlin cracked a little smile, however, "Is this a joke?" She asked quizzically. And both Harry and Cisco shook their heads at the same time.

"Not even a little." Cisco responded. 

"This morning, he cried about the toilet paper roll being put on backwards." Harry stated, and Ramon elbowed him.

"You said you weren't going to mention that!" He bleated, then his eyes went angry. "God, you're such an asshole!" He snapped, turning around and pacing away. Harry just raised his brows and motioned at Cisco with one hand. 

"Right. I'll run some tests." Caitlin said and grimaced at Harry, who let out a short sigh of relief. 

Thirty minutes or so later, Cisco was swinging his legs lazily at the side of the gurney, and Caitlin was standing in front of him, looking over some results. "Your dopamine and serotonin levels are all over the place. I ran three different panels and they all vary wildly. Even your noradrenaline isn't consistent. It's like your neurotransmitters have completely forgotten what they're supposed to do. I've never seen anything like it." She explained, her tone both sympathetic and managing to be professional at the same time.

"What's causing it?" Harry asked, crossing his arms curiously. Ramon glanced at him.

"I've got a better question, how do we stop it?" He stated, and Caitlin set her tablet down.

"Well, Harry's question leads to that. If I can pinpoint what's causing it, I can create an inhibitor to target the affected receptors and get them back on track. I'll need to do a complete work up on you, and I want to do an EEG and MRI on your brain. While I prep, you two need to go back to the start. If there's an environmental factor or some other component, it will definitely help to know about it." She advised.

"This started last Friday. He woke up agitated. For no apparent reason." Harry said, reaching out and gripping Cisco's shoulder warmly.

"Then the day and night before would be a good place to start. I'll be back in a few minutes." She grabbed a notepad and pen off a metal stand and handed them out to Harry, then looked at Cisco. "We'll figure this out. It's probably nothing serious." She smiled that sweet, soft, reassuring smile of hers, then left the room. 

For a moment, neither one of them said anything, at least until Cisco reached forward and grabbed Harry by the pants, pulling him in. Ramon flattened his face against Harry's stomach and groaned. "Why does the crazy always happen to me?" He demurred. And Harry smiled a little, setting the notepad on the gurney and reaching up. He massaged Cisco's shoulders lightly.

"Because you're a nut." 

"But I'm you're nut." Cisco replied, lifting his head with a sigh.

"Always." Harry responded, stepping back just enough to lean down and brush his lips over Ramon's. Then he picked up the pad and sat down beside him, holding the pen ready. 

"So... what happened to me on Thursday that could make me wake up crazy on Friday?" Cisco asked, leaning slightly into him. Harry stared down at the blank lines on the paper in his lap. 

"I have no idea." He responded truthfully. They hadn't done anything unusual. Things on the meta front had been mostly quiet. And other than a few outstanding projects and repairs around the labs, they had really nothing heavy duty going on. They hadn't done anything new. Hadn't been anywhere they hadn't before. Hadn't met anyone- Harry froze for a moment. "Thursday." He looked at Cisco then, "Was the day Camila sat down with me at Jitters."

"Okay... so?" Cisco looked a little confused. "I thought we settled all that."

"We did." Harry sighed in slight annoyance. "She moved my laptop bag to sit down. The one you emptied out that night because you bought me a new one. Remember?"

"Wait... you think she planted something? Why would she do that?" Cisco asked, "And what could cause all," he motioned to himself, "This?" 

"I don't know." Harry stood up, tossing the pad down. "But I'm going to find out." He asserted, bending down once more to give Cisco a very quick kiss before turning on his heel and heading out of the medlab, nearly running Caitlin over in the process. 

It was a seemingly trivial clue. Not even a clue, really. But in Harry's brain, it added up. Camila was the only unknown. After she'd simply taken it upon herself to sit with him at the coffee shop, Harry tried to be polite, if moderately annoyed. He hadn't even looked in the bag after she'd touched it, it never occurring to him that she might have done something. After all, she seemed pleasant enough. But maybe her running into him in Jitters twice wasn't a coincidence. Maybe her moving into their building wasn't, either. 

Right now, maybe was all he had. And if whatever was happening to Cisco only kept getting worse, then maybe was good enough.

* * *

“This is everything.” Harry said, planting his hands on his hips as they stared down at the contents he'd set out on a table in the Cortex. The bag, the laptop, the wireless mouse, two mini notepads, the inscribed pen Jesse had gotten him for Christmas, a set of blueprints for an updated version of his pulse rifle, a very tiny rubber duck on a chain that Cisco insisted he needed for good luck, a ziplock bag with trail mix and a moderately flattened energy bar still in its wrapper. Caitlin had exam gloves on, picking up the rubber duck and raising a brow with a soft smirk.

“Hey, be nice to Mister Quackers.” Cisco said with a small smile and she chuckled.

“So when you took everything out of the bag, do you remember anything feeling off, anything different?” She asked, setting the duck down as Harry crossed his arms and looked at Cisco who shrugged. 

“Naw, I mean...” he glanced at Harry, “I just took it all out of the bag,” he motioned to the empty, very worn out laptop bag with its broken zipper. “And put it in the new one.” He motioned to the brand new, black leather bag on the other end of the table. Harry glanced around at everything one more time, taking a step closer to the table and letting his eyes roam. 

“I don't see anything that looks like it would affect anyone, but I'm going to test everyth-” Caitlin was stopped by Harry's sudden grip on her forearm.

“What is that?” He motioned with his other hand, to a point on the laptop itself. She narrowed her eyes, bending slightly forward to the spot on the lid that he'd motioned to. He never would have even seen it if it wasn't for the angle the light reflected against it.

“Is that slime?” Cisco asked, stepping closer to Harry.

It was a thin, grayish substance that didn't really stand out against the gray of the laptop itself. It almost looked like hair gel, which was absurd because neither one of them used hair gel. There was also the fact that Harry took good damn care of his laptop. He never ate around it, never touched it with messy hands. Caitlin grabbed a test swab and used the end of it to take a sample, then held it up toward the light, furrowing her brows. “I'll test this first. Don't touch anything else.” She ordered softly and left them standing there. Harry had used gloves to take everything out of the bag, but he decided it would probably be a good idea to wash his hands anyway. He moved past Cisco, motioning for him to follow, and they both headed toward the kitchen. 

After washing his hands thoroughly, they sat across from each other at the small table. Cisco had planted his forehead into the table itself, and had reached both hands across the top to cling to Harry's forearms. “It's going to be okay, Ramon.” Harry said, his grated voice making Cisco sigh deeply before the shorter man lifted his head to look at him. 

“And what if it's not? What if this just gets worse?” He stood then, pulling his hands away. “What if I'm always a mess like this? What if you,” he paused, glancing back at Harry as a momentary panic settled onto his features, “What if you don't want to be around me anymore? I mean, who could blame you, I yelled at you for putting a mug in an empty sink! You could decide it's not worth it, and you could... you could...” He began to ramble, hands clenched together in front of him. Harry pushed up from his seat, straight to Cisco, gripping him firmly on the upper arms.

“Ramon, stop it.” The shorter man froze in place. “Look at me.” Harry ordered firmly. Cisco cringed but lifted his gaze. “I'm not going anywhere.” Sure, he could have elaborated. But the point was simple and easily made. Ramon might drive him nuts a little more often than usual right now, but Harry wasn't about to skip out just because things got a little tough. That was just not the kind of man he was, for one thing. And for another, he loved his husband too damn much to just give up. Harry sighed softly, lifting his hands to Cisco's cheeks, cradling his face warmly. “I know it's strange right now. That you don't feel like yourself. But I happen to adore you regardless.” Cisco smiled a little at that, sighing and pushing his way completely into Harry's space. They'd hugged a lot lately. Not that they didn't hug or cuddle before. But this past week or so, Cisco had been nearly relentless in his need to just be touched or held. Harry was a cuddly guy when he was in the mood. But he wasn't used to Ramon being so clingy. That didn't mean he wouldn't relent completely to Cisco's needs. If anything, he owed Ramon all the affection in the world.

Cisco had been so patient with him after his ordeal on 714. The depth of understanding the man had for Harry, the kindness and the stubborn guidance and continuous love had all helped Harry come to terms with what he'd been through. The acceptance Ramon had for all aspects of who and what Harry was, then and now, had always settled the dark inside of him. For that reason alone, Harry would endure hell if Cisco needed him to. So an extra clingy Ramon? Shit, that was nothing at all. And it was also everything. Because even after all this time, it still honored Harry to know that Cisco turned to him for comfort and affection and love. Two very different sides of a strange coin, and yet they were somehow far more perfect for one another than anyone else could ever be. Harry was pretty sure that if they were of similar natures, their relationship would never work. It was their differences, and acceptance of those differences, that balanced them out. 

“I feel so lost.” Cisco muttered against Harry's throat. “I want to go back to being... me.” He sighed hot breath onto Harry's skin, and the result was an instant sigh from the taller man. 

“You're still you.” Harry responded softly, “Just a little unsteady.” Cisco raised his head then, searching Harry's eyes. “But that's okay. You've got me to keep you upright.” Slowly, Ramon smiled, a real and brilliant smile before chuckling softly.

“Sometimes, you are the sappiest man on the planet.” He finally said, and Harry just shrugged, his eyes softened with the humor of it. And then Cisco rose up and kissed him. The tangle of lips and warm breath and soft tongues started innocent enough. But with the way Cisco's emotions seemed to yo-yo at the drop of a dime, that didn't last long. The kiss turned to heated in a heartbeat. And for a moment, Harry couldn't think beyond the fact that Cisco was moaning into his mouth, that he was tugging at Harry's shirt. But then logic came back into the game, and Harry broke the kiss, letting out a deep breath and holding Cisco firmly.

“Slow down.” Harry said, his voice a little thicker than just a few moments ago. “As much as... I would love to keep going in this particular direction, we have to worry about-” But Cisco was ignoring him completely, pushing Harry back almost hard into the wall. 

“Caitlin will get us when she needs us.” Was Cisco's answer, just before he moved directly into Harry, pinning him, mouth suddenly tasting the skin on Harry's throat. Huh. This was new. Cisco was never normally this abrupt or pushy. Unless he was drunk, and that certainly wasn't the case. For a moment, Harry wanted to keep protesting. And he probably would have if Cisco hadn't suddenly wrapped a hand around his crotch and began groping. The result was Harry growling out and grabbing Cisco again. Ramon knew that Harry could be a bit rough around the edges, and that came out in their sexual interludes more than a little. For the most part, Harry was happy whether it was tender or rough. And he usually took his cues from Ramon in that regard. He never did anything that Cisco didn't want or didn't ask for. But when their eyes met this time, it was like Cisco was downright challenging him not to be nice. 

“Ramon.” He grated out. “You're not thinking straight.” Seriously, this was so very not like his husband. At all. And it worried Harry. A whole lot more than he was expressing.

“Wrong.” Cisco said firmly, reaching forward with one hand and gripping Harry's belt. “Come on, Harry. It's not like we've never done it before.” He practically purred. And Harry had to catch his breath when he felt Cisco's fingers slip over the edge of his pants. They couldn't have sex here in the kitchen. It wasn't that they hadn't had a romp or two at S.T.A.R. Labs before. But they didn't really have the necessary supplies at the moment, not to mention they had more important things to put their energy into. Cisco moved completely into him, though, fingers gripping Harry's belt firmly, undoing the clasp. “I know... exactly... what I'm doing.” He whispered, and just like that Harry's belt was open and Ramon was kissing him again so soundly that Harry's head spun instantly.

Maybe Cisco was thinking straight, because he knew damn well this was turning Harry on. Big time. But Harry's brain was still in control, mostly. Despite the fact that he was now hard as a rock, he was the one who had to be in command of this. He wasn't about to hurt Cisco, and they couldn't do what Ramon really seemed to want to do. So maybe... maybe Harry could nip this in the bud another way. He grabbed both of Cisco's wrists firmly, pushing forward, forcing Ramon back while they continued to kiss. His husband groaned in response, back pedaling to the empty area of the floor under Harry's control. And then Harry broke the kiss, using his foot to nearly trip Ramon, but guided him down on the floor so he wouldn't just fall. He pinned his body down as they kissed again, and Ramon took that as permission to slip his hands up beneath Harry's shirt, gripping and digging his fingers into Harry's flesh.

But no. No, if Harry was going to end this quickly, he had to keep his head in the game. And to do that, Cisco needed to keep his damn enticing hands to himself. So Harry rose up, grabbing both of Cisco's arms and practically glaring Ramon into stillness. After that, it didn't take much to undo his pants and yank them down, along with his briefs, around Cisco's thighs. The shorter man bit his lip, hands moving up to his own hair as he watched Harry longingly. His pupil blown chocolate eyes were nearly exotic. And Harry had to stare at them as he gripped Cisco's hardness, beginning to pump firmly. With his other hand, he rolled Cisco's balls just the right way, rubbed his perineum with his thumb. Ramon's eyes fluttered closed and his hands went limp for a moment. 

By now, Harry knew damn well the easiest way to get Cisco off. It wasn't ideal at the moment, and not exactly romantic there on the floor of the company kitchen. But it was better than Ramon's emotions taking another wild turn. He'd give Cisco the release he obviously needed, and then they'd get back to work. Hopefully. After a moment, when Cisco began to squirm a little, Harry lowered his mouth over the head of him. He tasted and licked, the soft, silken head sliding between warm lips and gliding along Harry's wet tongue as he went down on his husband as far as he could. Then with mouth and hands, he worked steadily and relentlessly. Cisco began to breathe heavily, moaning, grabbing his own hair, legs struggling a little beneath Harry. It wasn't long after that before Ramon made a sound that Harry knew all too well. He lifted his head, using one hand to tug Ramon's shirt up, and then pumped Cisco through a very long, very heavy orgasm. 

When it was over, Harry was so hard it practically hurt. But he stood, fixing his own belt which had been left unattended. Then he let out a very slow breath, watching as Cisco laid there with his eyes closed, just breathing. He cracked a light smile before moving to the sink and getting a fresh washcloth and some paper towels. Ramon didn't move an inch as Harry cleaned him up. He only helped a little when Harry pulled his briefs and pants back up. It wasn't till Harry finally sat on the floor by him that he really opened his eyes, looking pretty content. 

“So...” Cisco cleared his throat a little, pushing himself up onto his elbows. He blushed, so hard that even his ears turned a little red, “Any chance you'd let me return the favor?” Harry smiled at him, shaking his head once. But he reached forward with one hand and smoothed out stray strands of Cisco's hair.

“Work to do. You can have at me later.” Was his response, and Ramon chuckled a little at that before reaching forward and grabbing Harry by the shirt, gently pulling him into a warm kiss. A moment later, they were walking back to the medlab, Cisco's fingers entwined with his own. And Ramon was quiet. His contentedness had bled away into a strange solemnity, his emotions flipping a switch yet again. 

And that solemnity changed to anger, and then to random tears, and then to exhaustion during the course of more of Caitlin's tests. When he was finally passed out on the gurney, Harry took a moment to step away and breathe. He stood in the center of the Cortex, hands on his hips, eyes closed, head slightly hung. If this was hard to navigate for himself, he could only imagine what it was like for Ramon.

“I think... I've figured it out.” Caitlin's ever sweet voice met his ears and he turned to look where she was sitting at a console, her gaze intent on the screen before her. “That substance on your laptop was definitely the culprit. But it's like nothing I've ever seen.” She motioned for him to come over and he wandered behind her, peering down at something he knew all too well.

“Nanotech.” He stated in slight disbelief. “Wait, if this is what's responsible, then why didn't they show up in his blood?”

“Because they're not in his blood. They're in his brain.” She tapped a few keys and the screens changed to the latest scan they'd done. “They're so miniscule, I had to magnify to almost the extent of our equipment. His amygdala is completely saturated with them. From what I can tell, they've been programmed to randomly disrupt the connections between the amygdala, the hippocampus, the septal nuclei, even the thalamus. All of these things are interconnected at any given time to help regulate fluctuations in emotions and hormones. But when cut off from one or the other, certain hormones trigger and cause, for lack of a better phrase, an overdose of a specific emotion.”

“And he got them from touching that gel?” He asked, sitting down beside her then, turning the screen a little to examine a close up of one of the nanobots. Which was essentially what these things were. 

“The gel functions as a sort of stabilizer, keeping them active till they can find their way into the blood stream, and from there to the brain. This is just... beyond anything I've ever seen or studied in medical nanotech.” She stated, almost slightly in awe. But Harry shook his head, motioning to the screen.

“That's because these aren't for medical use. Or at least,” He tapped a few keys, making the image turn, “They're not supposed to be. I've seen them before. Or something like them. They're primarily used in quantum mechanics.” He shook his head a little. “Why the hell would anyone use them this way?” Caitlin shook her head.

“I don't know, but if we can shut them down, flush them from Cisco's system, then I can administer a drug cocktail that will level out the hormones and get his neurotransmitters back on track.” She explained. And Harry nodded.

“Give me some time to study these. It might be as simple as a localized EMP burst, but I want to be sure. If any one of these stays active, it could still cause problems.” He explained, and simply dived into working. Caitlin stood after a moment. 

“I'll keep him sedated for now. Let him rest.” She replied. And then, to his surprise, she hugged him from behind. His whole body froze. 

“He's going to be okay, Harry.” She said, then squeezed him lightly. He lifted a hand to her forearm, holding it gently. He couldn't quite help the slight lump in his throat. It never ceased to amaze him, the affection these remarkable people often showed him. He might never be able to express it properly, but they were all irreplaceable to him. “If I've never said it before, I'm glad he has you. I'm glad we all have you.” And with that, she simply pulled away and went back into the medlab. He was still for a long few breaths before getting back to work.

It was great to have an answer. But it certainly offered up other questions. Like how to shut the nanotech off. And...why had Camila done this? And by now, Harry was fairly certain in had been her. He was also certain that it was himself who had been the target. It was just bad luck that Cisco had ended up being affected. Try as Harry might, he couldn't think of anything he might have said or done to piss this woman off enough to do something like this. And, really... there could have definitely been something. Harry had that affect on people, even without trying. There was also the reality that this might have something to do with Thawne and not him. That happened more than he cared to count. What that bastard did usually found a way to come back and haunt him from time to time. 

At the moment, however, all of that didn't really matter. He needed to fix this, to get Cisco back to normal. Then he would deal with Camila. He'd get his answers. And he'd make sure that woman paid for what she'd done...

**Author's Note:**

> (To be continued...)


End file.
